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Friday, March 30, 2012

The Next Boat

We finally got my boat going. We employed a different method of construction on this part. The first major difference was the use of Corecell foam, thermally formed as previously documented. The skins were cut into 50 inch pieces and wet outside the mould. By doing so we precisely regulated the amount of resin in our carbon and ensured proper alignment of the fibers themselves. The pieces were laid into the mould overlapped. Part two was aligning the foam onto the laminate. We scored the foam in a few places to ensure it would pull down, but found it was much easier than expected. The foam we used was perforated, negating a need for release film. The holes controlled the flow of resin, keeping the distribution even and ensuring we couldn't draw too much out. We waited the 4 hours 30 minutes recommended before pulling vacuum and were able to get a strong bag, 26inHg at the opposite end, which pulled down any problem spots in the foam. Sorry for the lack of photos on this part but I will record the next part.

The next day reinforcements were applied. The ring frames were formed, then independently epoxied and bagged onto the core. Today we finished the part with the outer skin. The same methods were employed and the other side of the unis were put on ring frames. To simplify the bagging process the release film and breather cloth were glued together and went in as one part. Again we had some time to wait before pulling on the bag just past that 4 hour mark. Thanks to SP Gurit for helping us out with some excellent materials. Pictures coming soon of the part out of the mould. Thanks for reading and make sure to follow us!